Method of and apparatus for producing rolled rims on paper cups



June 16, 1942. p Q swir METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ROLLEDRIMS-ON PAPER CUPS 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Jan. 10, 1941 June 1942. F. c.SMITH ,286,692

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING ROLLED RIMS ON PAPER CUPS FiledJan. 10, 1941 2 SheehS-SheGt 2 Jiz'c/z'rzfor."

Patented June 16, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFICE METHOD OF ANDAPPARATUS FOR PRO- DUCING ROLLED RIMS ON PAPER CUPS Frederick C. Smith,Worcester, Mass., assignor to United States Envelope Company,Springfield, Mass., a corporation of Maine Application January 10, 1941,Serial No. 373,890

4 Claims.

.of a spinning operation around the edge of a con tainer mouth in atruly elliptical path. Furthermore, the spinning is carried on within achanging zone corresponding to the diminishing elliptical perimeter ofthe container body, as the spinning progresses.

The above and other advantageous features of the invention willhereinafter more fully appear from the following description consideredin connection with the accompanying drawings, in which: I

Fig. 1 is a View in side elevation of apparatus for forming rolled rimson cups.

Fig. 2 is a view in front elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are views in side elevation and in plan, illustrating theappearance of a cup before the formation of a rolled rim thereon.

Figs. 5, 5a and 6 are views in side elevation and in plan, showing acompleted cup with a rolled rim or bead.

Fig. 7 is a Vertical sectional view along the line 1-1 of Fig. 1, on anenlarged scale.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view at right angles to Fig. '7 and showing theparts in rim-rolling position.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal sectional View along the line 9-9 of Fig. '7,looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig, 10 is a horizontal sectional view along the line Ill-I0 of Fig. 8,looking in the direction of the arrows, and with the cup form removed.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale, showingthe formation of a bead.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the diflcerent figures.

Referring first to Figs. 3 and 4, a. cup of the type with which thepresent invention is concerned is shown as comprising a generallywedgeshaped body I, terminating in a straight edge bottom 2 and flaringoutwardly to an open mouth, the edge 3 of which is of elliptical form.It is to be noted that the edge 3 lies in a single plane substantiallyparallel to the bottom 2, and

in making the cup, the blank from which the cup is formed is so cut asto give an elliptical form to the edge 3, when the blank is curled abouta suitable form and its edges secured together along the body seam la.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown an illustrativeembodiment of apparatus for forming rolled rims on cups of the typeshown in Fig. 3, without alteration of the form of the open ellipticalmouth that such cup presents. As shown, the apparatus consists of aholder 4 mounted on a slide 5 movable between vertical ways 6 providedby a frame-l. The slide 5 is operable up and down between the ways 6 bymeans of a piston within a fluid pressure cylinder 8 under the controlof a button 9, with the holder normally occupying the position of Fig.2, in readiness to receive a cup.

As best shown in Figs. 7 and 10,. the holder 4 provides an opening I0,the upper periphery of which is elliptical in form, as indicated atIila, with the wall of the opening tapering downwardly so that when acup having the form of Fig. 3 is placed in the opening I0, its body Iwill fit snugly in the holder 4. The holder 4 is so mounted on its'slide5 as to dispose the central axis of the opening ill in exact alinementwith the axis of a vertical mandrel l I mounted in an overhangingportion I2 of the frame 1 above the holder. The lower end of the mandrelII carries a cup form I3, so shaped as to fit within the holder openingIll when the holder is raised into the position of Fig. '7 by operationof the button 9.

When a cup has been placed in the holder opening l0 and the holderraised so as to cause the cup form [3 to enter the opening ill, the bodyof the cup will b firmly clamped between the holder and the form, withits elliptical edge 3 lying entirely in a horizontal plane disposedabove the upper end of the form I 3. The clamped cup is then inreadiness for operation upon by the rim-rolling device of the presentinvention which; as previously pointed out, is adapted to convert theelliptical edge of the cup into a rounded rim or bead, without in anyway altering the form of the cup mouth.

As best shown in Fig. 7, the rim-rolling device consists of a pair ofgrooved rolls l4, each rotatably mounted between the arms of a yoke I5provided at the end of a stud I6 mounted on a slide I1. Each slide I! ismovable between parallel ways l8 provided on a cross head l9 that isrotatably and slidably mounted on the mandrel ll. Therefore, the slide I1 carrying each-roll I4 is capable of both rotative movement with thecross head |9 as well as transverse movement on the cross head withrespect to the axis of the mandrel The stud I6 which carries each rollyoke also carries a ball bearing 28, the outer race 20a of which isadapted to bear on a track 2| formed on a stationary cam 22 surroundingthe spindle As best shown in Fig. 9, the cam track is elliptical inform, with its surface tapering inwardly at an angle substantiallycorresponding to the angle which the sides of the cup form make with thevertical. Consequently, rotation of the cross head I9 with respect tothe stationary cam 22 will cause the rolls M to travel in a trulyelliptical path as the bearings 2|] move around the track 2|, saidbearings being maintained in contact with the cam track 2| bycentrifugal force.

The cross head I9 provides a hub 23 capable of both rotative and axialmovement with respect to the mandrel, and a groove 24 formed on the hub23 receives a belt 25, for rotatably driving the entire rim-rollingdevice mounted on the cross head from any suitable source of power, suchas a motor 28. The hub 23 also provides a groove 21 for receiving a roll28 at the lower end of an operating slide 29 movable between ways 38provided by the frame portion l2. The upper end of the slide carries aroll 3| bearing on a cam 32 mounted on the end of a shaft 33, so thatthe slide 29 is adapted to impart up and down movement to the cross headl9 simultaneously with rotation thereof.

The shaft 33 carrying the cam 32 is rotatably driven, by means of asprocket 34 connected to a motor 35 by a belt 36, and the cam 32 is soformed that the slide 29 is moved from the position of Fig. '7 to theposition of Fig. 8 and back again, for each complete revolution of theshaft 33, to perform the rim-rolling operation. In order to insure thateach cup will be acted upon uniformly, a suitable one-revolution clutchis interposed between the driving sprocket 34 and the shaft 33, asindicated at 31. This clutch 31 is adapted to be actuated each time theholder 4 is raised, as by means of a suitable handle 38, so that thecross head IE! will be returned to the position of Fig. 2, and remainthere after each rim-rolling operation,*until the cup just operated uponhas been removed from the holder, and the holder again raised with afresh cup therein.

When the holder 4 with a cup therein has been raised to the position ofFig. '7, the cup will be firmly clamped between the holder and the forml3, with the edge 3 of its open elliptical mouth extending above theupper end of the form. Operation of the clutch 31 by the handle 38 willthen cause the slide 29 to move the cross head |9 downwardly, and as thecross head rotates, the ball bearings 20 will move the slides H withrespect to the mandrel axis as the bearings roll around the ellipticaltrack 2| on the stationary cam 22. Therefore, as the grooved rolls I4engage the edge 3 of the cup, the rolls M are moving in a trulyelliptical path, substantially corresponding to the form of the cupmouth. The perimeter of this elliptical path progressively diminishes asthe cross head l9 moves to the position of Fig. 8, with the result thata rounded bead 39 is spun on the cup by the rolls |4 operating within achanging zone corresponding to the perimeter of the cup body at anystage of the spinning, see Fig. 11.

The holder is then lowered into the position of Fig. 2 to permit removalof a finished cup, which has the appearance shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Itis evident from a comparison of Figs. 4 and 6, that the rolled rim ofthe finished cup has substantially the same elliptical form as the edge3, with the ellipse of the bead on a slightly smaller scale. Thisfinished cup will be easy to drink from, owing to the reinforcing effectof the bead, and obviously, the beaded cups will nest readily in astack, and can be handled in the same dispensers that have heretoforebeen employed in connection with unbeaded cups, such as are shown inFigs. 3 and 4.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that by the present invention thereis provided an improved method of and apparatus for forming rolled rimsor beads on paper cups or containers of the type shown, with the beadsbeing formed by a spinning action, which takes place in a trulyelliptical path, always corresponding to the perimeter of the cup body,as the spinning progresses. In this respect, the method and apparatus ofthe present application differs from the disclosure of my copendingapplication, Serial No. 373,648, filed January 8, 1941, wherein the beadforming operation takes place in a circular path.

I claim:

1. Apparatus of the class described, comprising a holder for receiving apaper cup having a conoidal or wedge-shaped body and an open ellipticalmouth,'a rigid form relatively movable with respect to said holder forclamping the cup body therein, with the edge portion of the cup mouthextending beyond said form, a tool slidably mounted on a carrierrotatable about the axis of said cup form, and means cooperating withsaid tool simultaneously with its rotation by said carrier for causingsaid tool to travel in an elliptical path of diminishing perimeter as itengages the edge of said cup to roll a bead thereon.

2. In the art of spinning beads on the elliptical rims of conoidal orwedge-shaped paper cups, the improvement which consists in supportingeach cup stationarily in a rigid form, with its rim protrudingtherefrom, applying to said rim a spinning element which travels in anelliptical path, and causing relative transverse movement between rimand element in a direction corresponding substantially .to the taper ofthe cup body.

3. In apparatus of the class described, means for stationarilysupporting a conoidal or wedgeshaped paper cup, with its elliptical rimin protruding relation to said supporting means, a spinning memberhaving an elliptical path of travel for engagement with said rim, andmeans for procuring relative'transverse movement between member and rimin the direction of taper of the cups wall.

4. In apparatus of the class described, means for stationarilysupporting a conoidal or wedgeshaped paper cup, with its elliptical rimin protruding relation to said suporting means, a spinning memberrevolving about the axis of said supporting means and adapted to beengaged with said rim, and a stationary cam cooperating with said memberto confine its travel to an elliptical path, said cam having its surfaceon substantially the same taper as the cup body, whereby the feed ofsaid member against said rim causes said member to travel in anelliptical path of gradually diminishing perimeter.

' FREDERICK C. SMITH.

